History Of A One (Flashbacks of the DiLaurentis' Childhood)
by SashaLikaMusica
Summary: Before Courtney went all psycho-crazy on Alison and got sent off to Radley, what was it like inside the life of the beautiful, talented, yet not-quite-so-perfect DiLaurentis twins? Disclaimer: I don't own PLL. Just a series of one-shots.
1. Chapter 1

Another crash of thunder shook the house. With a squeal, Courtney dove beneath the covers, quaking in terror. Rain was pelting itself furiously against her window, a deafening, ceaseless pounding. The power had gone out hours before, and the bedroom was dark and chilly; to any other child, the clothes hanging over the back of her desk chair might have taken on the shape of a monster.

Courtney didn't believe in monsters; she believed in reality. Ghosts and monsters were for silly scardy-cats on Halloween. Courtney wasn't a scardy cat, she was a brave little seven-year-old; she wasn't afraid of anything. Except . . . well, maybe thunder scared her – just a little.

When another thundering boom came, following a brilliant flash of lightning that illuminated the darkened room, Courtney flew out of bed with an ear-piercing scream that was masked by the sound of the pouring rain. Wincing after herself, she cowered on the floor with her palms clamped tightly over her ears. She hated storms, hated them, hated them, hated them. Yanking her cat, Sampson, from the mattress, she scampered quickly from the room and out into the corridor.

The hallway was dark as well, dusky and, for someone as spooked as Courtney was, just the tiniest bit scary. It was slightly quieter there, however, the only sounds being her dull footsteps and the intermittent, muffled roar of thunder. Flashes of light lit up the hall, and shadows danced spookily in the gloom by the top of the stairs. Courtney whimpered, clutching Sampson tighter against her chest, and when a particularly loud boom sounded, she jumped again and pounded down the hall to the middle of the corridor, where a door stood slightly ajar.

Frantically, she shoved it open, slamming it behind her with a whimper of fright and the lingering feeling that something had followed her into the room. An endearing sight she was, the little girl in the faded bunny-print cotton pajamas and bare feet, clutching a tiny grey kitten to her chest. Her round baby face was crumpled up with fear, and her blue eyes were wide and grey in the dusky light. Short, shoulder-length blonde curls (soft and loose in their ringlets) had grown fluffy, and puffed out from her head as she stood there shivering, a scared child, all alone but for the kitten in her hands.

"Ali?" she whispered tentatively into the darkness. She could just make out the ghostly shape of the canopy bed through the dimness. "Are you awake?" A small form shifted, the quilt moving slightly as the other little girl turned to face the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What is it, Court?" The soft voice was identical to Courtney's, yet slightly more mature seeming, for it lacked the childish tone of fright that Courtney was prone to in moments such as this. Courtney's face was beginning to relax some, though she still had yet to cease flinching after every bolt of lightning.

"I'm – I'm scared," she admitted quietly, her face collapsing again. She looked as though she were about to cry. "Can – can me and Sampson sleep in here with you?" Alison smiled into the darkness before rolling over once more, remaining lying down as she patted the space beside her.

"Sure. Just don't hog the blankets, all right?" More often than not when they shared a bed, Courtney could be found in the morning swathed in all the blankets as Alison lay shivering with a scowl on her face. Both girls had beautiful rooms with soft canopy beds, but most nights, one became lonely, or got scared of the dark, or had a bad dream, and they inevitably ended up in the same space, their small bodies peaceful and intertwined. However, Courtney was a blanket thief, and she knew it – just as Ali snored, and she knew it. Courtney giggled.

"'Kay." Readjusting Sampson in her arms, she prepared to borrow a pair of Alison's fuzzy socks, but a particularly loud shock of thunder scared her into action. With a loud squeak of fear, she sprinted (bare feet padding) across the room before catapulting into the bed. She landed among a mass of pillows and sheets and her sister, Sampson flying from her arms onto the foot of the bed. Ali squealed, tugging the sheets away as Courtney buried herself beneath the warm quilt and snuggled into Ali's side.

"Thanks Al," she giggled, burrowing into the warmth of the comforters and her sister's body. She pressed her freezing toes into Ali's side, only to have her sister yelp in surprise and jerk away from the cold before readjusting, putting her arms around Courtney and pulling the girl closer. For a while in silence they lay, tucked together beneath the heat of the blankets, Sampson purring loudly at their feet before nosing his way up to curl at their heads on Alison's side. Breathing grew deep and even, slowing with their heartbeats as both girls felt sleep growing heavier on their eyelids.

"The thunder's real loud tonight," Courtney whispered eventually, her tone awed and slightly scared. Ali rolled her eyes, shifting so that her sister could rest her head on her upper arm. However, she smiled when Courtney moved closer with a thunderclap, glad to know that she was needed.

"It sure is," she agreed quietly, her voice an almost inaudible murmur. There was a long moment's pause, and a thoughtful silence before she spoke again. By the stillness of the body next to her, she wondered if Courtney had fallen asleep. "Hey Court?" she breathed softly.

"Yeah?" Courtney mumbled, nuzzling closer in her half-asleep haze and seek for warmth and comfort.

"A lot of people have best friends. Let's be best friends forever, 'kay Court? Forever and ever?" she asked softly. Courtney sighed deeply, sleep overtaking her in its desperately heavy weight.

"'Kay."


	2. What Jason Saw (The Ballad of Peep)

The kitten was gasping for breath, mewling pitifully as it took feeble swipes with its tiny paws. Courtney's long, slender fingers tightened around the little throat, curling into the soft fur with defining purpose. The large blue eyes were sliding shut as the tiny creature struggled for air, and it was beginning to fall limp in Courtney's hands.

The door to the bedroom flew open to reveal Alison standing there, about to enter. Her sea-mist eyes took in the scene, widening in realization as they saw what was happening. She flew to the spot with a wild cry.

"Courtney, what are you doing?" she cried frantically as her sister flung the limp body of the animal away. Desperately, her hands roamed the fragile form, searching for a flutter, a twitch; some small sign of life. Courtney merely stood there, silent; her matching features expressionless and empty of emotion.

"Why did you do this Court? Peep, Peep, wake up!" Ali wailed, shaking her pet before pressing the lifeless body close to her chest. She rocked back and forth on the floor, sobbing, stroking the silky silver fur in anguish. "Court, why? Why did you have to kill him? He was only a baby! Courtney, answer me! Peep, no, no! Peep wake up! Please don't be dead, Peep, please! Peep, I love you, please! No!" A flood of tears was pouring down her cheeks, streaking face with tracks of grief and saltwater.

Courtney turned away, a twisted, sadistic smile on her face. Alison was grieving; she had gotten what she wanted. She hadn't cared about the kitten; it was only a tactic to reach in and break the ice queen persona of her perfect sister. She was safe, for now. She knew Ali wouldn't tell; Courtney knew too many of her secrets, and as tough as Ali was, she would never admit that the sister that she was supposed to love was tormenting her.

As she was exiting the room, she was met with an unwelcome onlooker. Her older brother, Jason, had been standing there the whole time.

"What, are you going to choose her over me again, huh? Would you really do that, big brother?" Courtney taunted, simpering. Jason merely stared at her, horrified, before rushing in to comfort Alison.

"Ali, Ali it's all right," he murmured soothingly, stroking Alison's back as she wept in a damp, salty heap on the floor. "It led a happy life, Ali, all right? It was happy, and we can get you a new kitten when you're ready; I'll tell mom and dad that it wasn't your fault, all right?" Ali gulped, struggling to regain control and compose herself as she nodded miserably. Courtney's nostrils flared angrily at the sight.

"Sure, Jason! Take her part! You'll be sorry later, you both will!" she screamed, knowing that she could yell as loudly as she wished just then, for their parents weren't at home. "You both will!" she screeched again before stomping off down the hall to flop herself onto her bed in fury. She had gotten to Ali; that was all she cared about for now. But she could not push down the lingering feeling of dread that was creeping up through her stomach and chest.

Jason had seen, and Jason never forgot what he saw.


End file.
